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An English translation has appeared of 合気道開祖植芝盛平伝. It is called A Life in Aikido: The Biography of the Founder Morihei Ueshiba. It is published by Kodansha at 35 US dollars.
ISBN:978-4-7700-2617-0.

The translation has been made by Kei Izawa and Mary Fuller.

P Goldsbury

Hello Professor! Thanks for putting something up on this one... It's not set for release until December. Amazon has it on pre-sale now at $23.10 US. I should have a review up over on AJ in late November.

I saw the book in the Kinokuniya bookstore in Times Square, Tokyo. The Japanese price was 3,675 Japanese yen.

I will ask Doshu to sign the copy I bought when I meet him tomorrow. I am looking foward to reading it carefully, side by side with the original Japanese text, and comparing Mr Izawa's skill as a translator with that of John Stevens.

I am looking forward to reading the reviews, especially from those who believe that Kisshomaru Ueshiba has distorted the history of aikido.

I'm asking for a new thread to discuss this one particular topic raised in an earlier post:-How Kisshomaru Ueshiba has distorted the history of aikido.

I believe that will leave this thread available for a myriad of other discussions regarding the contents of the newly translated book itself. Of which, I am certain, you will have many insights on both accounts.

I am sure that people will write good descriptive reviews of the book. Which is fine, because it presents much more detail about Morihei Ueshiba's life than anything which has so far appeared in English.

However, the issues that I am attempting to present in the columns I am writing are better dealt with in more critical reviews of the book: the kind of review you find in the New York Review of Books. For example, I have a good hunch that Kisshomaru's treatment of his father's relationship with Sokaku Takeda and Onisaburo Deguchi will be disputed--and disputed by some of our regular Aikiweb contributors.

One should also remember the particular reasons why Kisshomaru wrote this biography--and how it differs from the other biography, written by Kanemoto Sunadomari.

Which Aikiweb forum is used? Well, I think this is a comparatively minor question, and I trust in the good sense of our Beloved Administrator.

I am sure that people will write good descriptive reviews of the book. Which is fine, because it presents much more detail about Morihei Ueshiba's life than anything which has so far appeared in English.

However, the issues that I am attempting to present in the columns I am writing are better dealt with in more critical reviews of the book: the kind of review you find in the New York Review of Books. For example, I have a good hunch that Kisshomaru's treatment of his father's relationship with Sokaku Takeda and Onisaburo Deguchi will be disputed--and disputed by some of our regular Aikiweb contributors.

One should also remember the particular reasons why Kisshomaru wrote this biography--and how it differs from the other biography, written by Kanemoto Sunadomari.

Which Aikiweb forum is used? Well, I think this is a comparatively minor question, and I trust in the good sense of our Beloved Administrator.

That's a thought.
I look forward to hearing more from you about this in your column.
Best,
Jen